Riden With Biden

Former Vice-President Joe Biden is officially in the race for president, which he has been leading in the polls for months. Some have criticized him for starting his campaign by focusing on Trump’s defense of the Nazis and white supremacists who marched in Charlottesville. How do you criticize a guy for criticizing a guy for defending and supporting Nazis? Even his campaign logo has been criticized for being goofy, which truly does fit a guy like Joe Biden. The goofy logo didn’t deter him from achieving the biggest first-day haul of the 2020 campaign, raising $6.3 million in the first 24 hours.

Biden is the candidate Trump fears the most, who responded to Biden’s criticism of him defending Nazis and reaffirming that he thought there were “fine people” on both sides. “Fine people” don’t march with Nazis. Trump, who is three years younger than Biden, also criticized him for being old.

Biden faces obstacles much tougher than a poorly designed logo that makes his name look like “Jo.” He has a long political record dating back to the 1970s to contend with. In the past, he supported a mass-incarceration crime bill that’s now harshly criticized by liberals, he was a pro-life Democrat, he was against busing, and he supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq. But the one issue we keep hearing about is the Clarence Thomas confirmation hearings that put him on the Supreme Court. Biden, who was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee at the time has been criticized for the treatment Anita Hill, who accused Thomas of sexual harassment, was treated during the hearings.

Biden called Hill recently to discuss her concerns. She says the call left her “dissatisfied.” She said, “I cannot be satisfied by simply saying, ‘I’m sorry for what happened to you. I will be satisfied when I know there is real change and real accountability and real purpose.” Perhaps Biden may have seemed more contrite if he had expressed concern over the past 30 years for the way she felt, instead of waiting until he was gearing up a presidential campaign.

Biden refuses to apologize for the way he personally treated Hill. He told The View, “If you go back to what I said, and didn’t say, I don’t think I treated her badly.” But is that true? Biden refused to call supporting witnesses who also accused Thomas of sexual harassment.

The Washington Post writes, “Interviews with a dozen people with firsthand knowledge and a review of the written record and interviews published with participants over the past three decades reinforce that Biden failed to use the powers afforded to Senate committee chairmen to conduct a judicious and thorough inquiry into Hill’s allegations. He did not give full consideration to witnesses whose allegations seemed to corroborate her testimony or curb the attacks and innuendo leveled at her during the hearing. ”

If this was Donald Trump, the controversy would be pushed aside for the next controversy. Even though Biden is prone to gaffes, he’s probably not going to attack POWs, Gold Star families, or mock the handicapped so this controversy may stick for a while, though it’s still eight months until the first primary.

Biden is a Democrat which means the bar is higher for him. A Democrat has to account for being too touchy/feely with women by invading their personal space and rubbing their shoulders while a Republican is allowed to brag about “grabbing them by the pussy.” A Democrat needs actual policy proposals full of details while a Republican can say he’ll replace Obamacare with “something better” and we’re going to build a wall and Mexico will pay for it. A Democrat must know every detail about pending legislation and memorize the Constitution while a Republican is allowed a lifeline when asked how many branches of government there are. Democrats are attacked for conducting opposition research on their opponents while a Republican can invite Russians into his campaign headquarters. While Republicans will put an accused assaulter on the nation’s highest court, a Democrat is still facing tough questions 30 years after allowing a harsh hearing for an accuser.

We’re also in the #metoo era which means this issue won’t be let go any time soon, and it shouldn’t.

Biden is goofy, clumsy, awkward, gaffe-prone, and lousy with accepting responsibility. And if he’s the party’s nominee in 2020, I’ll be voting for him.

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